


Invisible to you

by fangirl2013



Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love, Marriage, Unhappiness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-21
Updated: 2014-10-21
Packaged: 2018-02-22 02:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2491616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl2013/pseuds/fangirl2013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Anne begins to realise the cracks in her marriage, she gets comforted by an old friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Invisible to you

**Author's Note:**

> This popped in my head. Don't worry, I will write something happy for Richard and Anne! I love them too much not to.

Invisible and unimportant. That's how she felt. The longing gathering inside Anne's chest had finally become to hard to ignore. Her warm hazel eyes watered slightly as she thought of just how badly she felt. Her lips quivered a little as she turned her thoughts to man she still very much adored. 

Oh, Richard, my darling husband, she thought, her eyes closing momentarily as she thought of him. The pain of believing he no longer cared for her filled her entire being and for a few moments, it was all she thought of. 

As Anne looked around the kitchen she'd so lovingly designed, Anne tried to reason with herself. Perhaps, he did care but just not enough?

"Get a grip, Anne." She muttered to herself, in annoyance. There didn't seem to be any use pondering her feelings and all it did, was prolong her pain. 

As the doorbell rang, Anne immediately tried to compose her feelings. She didn't need any sympathy from her neighbours. 

To her shock, however, at her door was not one of her neighbours but Robert Brackenbury, one of her oldest friends. There was a sheepish expression on his friendly face as he stood in front of her and Anne had to wonder why. 

"Sorry to disturb you, Anne. I've come to collect a file that Richard needs. Is it alright with you, if I come in and get it?" He asked her, politely, the sheepish expression still clear on his face. 

Shaking her head, moments later, Anne ushered him inside. It had been months since she'd seen Robert and despite her unhappiness, she tried to give him a smile. 

The smile, however, didn't come easy to her. She didn't feel like smiling at all. In fact, all she seemed to want to do was cry and go find her husband. 

"Are you alright?" The question took her unawares and for a few seconds, she didn't know what to tell him. 

After opening and closing her mouth a couple of times, as if she was going to speak, Anne finally did.

"Yes, yes! Why would I not be, Robert?" She sounded as enthusiastic as she could be and she had to hope he couldn't tell it was forced. 

Robert, at her words, gave her a searching look. His eyes looked darker than they normally did and Anne tried to think why they did. 

"You seem....troubled." He told her, a frown on his face. 

Anne couldn't help but look away from him as he spoke. It unsettled her greatly to know she was so easy to read. Her stomach turned to knots and she wondered why Richard hadn't noticed anything. 

Once again, she opened her mouth to speak but her words seemed to fail her. 

"Come. Lets make a coffee." Robert told her, taking her elbow softly and leading her to the kitchen. 

Anne didn't put up any fight. She was far too weary to do that but she definitely felt uneasy. 

"Don't you need to go straight back to Richard and Plantagenet?" Anne asked as she took her seat at the breakfast bar. 

Although, there was a conflicted expression on he r face, Robert shook his head at her. 

"No. Not right away. The file is for this afternoon. Richard probably won't notice that I've gone just yet. He's been in meetings all morning." Robert told her, a friendly smile on his face. 

Anne had known how busy her husband was but Robert's sincere words served as a painful reminder. Something she knew she definitely didn't need. 

"What's wrong, Anne? You can tell me. " He coaxed, his voice warm. 

Biting her lips, softly, Anne thought of whether she wanted to admit how she felt. Robert's gaze never left hers and the intensity reminded her of Richard's. 

Eventually, after thinking for a few moments, she started talking. 

"I feel like I'm invisible to him. It feels as if Plantagenet is all that matters to him." She admitted to him, her voice wavering a little. 

There was a sympathetic expression on her friend's face and Anne immediately regretted telling him how she felt. 

"You matter to him, Anne. You always have." As sincere and heartfelt as Robert sounded, Anne couldn't believe him. 

It seemed to hurt too much to even contemplate and for the second time, she felt regret. 

Shaking her head at him emphatically, Anne tried to tell him how wrong he was. Although, she longed for it to be true with all her heart, Richard's indifference was exactly that. 

"No. He doesn't. I'm not sure he'd notice if I came in one morning with only my underwear on." 

The blush that appeared on Anne's cheeks was as violent as it could be as she spoke and Robert's own embarrassment was clear. 

"He definitely would notice, Anne. Believe me. Any man would. You are a beautiful woman." It was Robert's turn to blush as Anne watched it spread quickly up his neck.

The air in the kitchen felt thick with tension as the two old friends gazed at each other. As Anne watched Robert shift uncomfortably in his seat next to her, she had to wonder whether he regretted his words. 

Although, Robert had simply meant to be truthful to her, his words had sounded like a compliment to them both. It was a little while before he spoke again.

"Richard loves you, he does. He may not show it to you but I'm sure he does. He's a very lucky man to have you, Anne." He told her, his eyes boring into hers. 

Although, they both blushed again, tears gathered in her eyes. The idea that Richard was lucky to have her seemed ludicrous but his words about Richard loving her filled her with hope. 

Her tears began to overflow as she thought of her marriage and her husband. The feeling of Robert's hand upon her shoulder was a slight comfort but even so, she couldn't help but wish it was Richard's hand instead. 

As her tears intensified, she felt his hand begin to stroke her back, softly, in comforting circles. It seemed a simple gesture but it was one Richard done many times before.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this wasn't too bad. Chapter 2 involves a confrontation between Anne and Richard. 
> 
> Please comment? :)


End file.
